The Freeware WinZip for Windows 8 Isn’t Free at All

The app is listed as free in the Store, but it’s only offered as a trial

WinZip for Windows 8 isn't actually free, but only a trial

A few days ago, we reported that WinZip, one of the most popular compression tools in the world, was available with a freeware license, as the Windows Store marks it as “free.”

That was obviously pretty good news for Windows 8 users who were looking for a full-featured app to quickly compress files and extract data from archives, but it appears that WinZip for Windows 8 isn’t free at all.

The app is actually offered as a 15-day trial, after which you’re forced to either purchase it for $7.99 (€5.99) or uninstall the program completely.

WinZip Computing, the software company behind the project, has already updated the Windows Store description to state that you’d only get a 15-day trial.

“Start with a 15-day free trial and then subscribe for just $7.99/year,” the description now reads.

We’ve contacted Microsoft for a word on this, so we’ll update the article when and if we get an answer.